Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) Stock Holdings Increased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Ares Management Co. (NYSE:ARES) by 2,533.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 948 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 912 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Ares Management were worth $148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ares Management by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,599,345 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,207,381,000 after acquiring an additional 206,996 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 58.5% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,058,394 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $674,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867,933 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 49.4% in the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,822,565 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $376,191,000 after purchasing an additional 933,664 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 24.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,316,584 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $308,754,000 after purchasing an additional 453,657 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ares Management by 38.5% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,171,188 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $289,376,000 after purchasing an additional 603,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.03% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Price Performance

Shares of ARES opened at $169.47 on Monday. Ares Management Co. has a 52-week low of $96.00 and a 52-week high of $171.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.50 billion, a PE ratio of 76.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22.

Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The asset manager reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. Ares Management had a return on equity of 20.46% and a net margin of 12.53%. The firm had revenue of $788.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $860.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ares Management Co. will post 4.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ares Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Ares Management’s payout ratio is 166.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ares Management from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ares Management from $156.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $155.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $136.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Ares Management from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 27,068 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.67, for a total transaction of $3,942,995.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 222,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,474,504.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider David B. Kaplan sold 27,068 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.67, for a total value of $3,942,995.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 222,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,474,504.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael J. Arougheti sold 27,120 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.67, for a total value of $3,950,570.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 222,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,466,929.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 622,640 shares of company stock worth $91,378,848 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Ares Management Company Profile

Ares Management Corporation operates as an alternative asset manager in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company's Tradable Credit Group segment manages various types of investment funds, such as commingled and separately managed accounts for institutional investors, and publicly traded vehicles and sub-advised funds for retail investors in the tradable and non-investment grade corporate credit markets.